NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Bale Mountains adder
Bitis parviocula Böhme, 1977
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Common name: Bale Mountains adder, Ethiopian mountain adder, Ethiopian viper, Ethiopian mountain viper.
Bitis parviocula is a venomous viper species found only in Ethiopia. It is large with a broad head and spectacular geometric markings. In 1995, the species was known from only three specimens, but additional information has surfaced since then. Little is known about its natural history or its venom. No subspecies are currently recognized.
The first specimen known to science was a road kill on the east side of the Rift Valley in Ethiopia.
Wikipedia contributors, Bitis parviocula; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:55:28.304427+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Bitis parviocula Böhme, 1977
- Name authority
- Böhme, 1977
- Common name
- Bale Mountains adder
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Viperidae
- Genus
- Bitis
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyViperidae
- subfamilyViperinae
- genusBitis
- speciesBitis parviocula Böhme, 1977
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Bitis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Rhinoceros ViperBitis nasicornis (Shaw & Nodder, 1792) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bale Mountains adderBitis harenna Gower, Wade, Spawls, Böhme, Buechley, Sykes & Colston, 2016 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mountain AdderBitis atropos (Linnaeus, 1758) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gaboon AdderBitis gabonica (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Angolan adder; Bocage's Horned Adder (after FRANK & RAMUS 1995).Bitis heraldica (Bocage, 1889) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Kenya Horned ViperBitis worthingtoni Parker, 1932 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Desert Mountain AdderBitis xeropaga Haacke, 1975 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hornless AdderBitis inornata (Smith, 1838) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Bitis&species=parviocula Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:LXLF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.